What Now? AKA seasonseries 4 Episode 2
by Rodea McWin
Summary: 2nd episode of my season/series 4 - This follows "Now What - AKA episode 1 season/series 4" which is my take on what might have happened after Abby, Connor and Danny were stuck in the past at the end of season 3. They are back home; so what happens now?
1. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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NOTE: if you have not read "What Now, AKA season 4 episode 1" this story will not make much sense. If you wish to enjoy or at least understand this story you should go back and read "What Now, AKA season 4 episode 1".

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* * *

**Chapter 1**

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After enduring two days worth of test at the hospital, only to find out that all they could say was it was a case of exhaustion, Connor was finally going home today. He had been looking forward to this ever since Abby said he could move back into her flat. When Abby had told him he could move back it had been hard for him to envision this day since she had told him while they were stuck up a tree thousands of years in the past.

Abby had shown up that morning to drive him home but was currently talking to one of the nurses. He used this time to get dressed and pack up his few things. He didn't have much with him, but one of the things he wasn't sure he wanted to bring home were the clothes that he was wearing when he finally got back to his own time. There was no explanation as to where they had come from, but it was certainly on everyone's minds; especially since they were unlike any clothes they had ever seen before. They were only clothes, but they were a key to what happened to him and why he did not come through the anomaly the same way his friends did.

There was also no explanation for how his leg had managed to heal. The only things the doctors offered was that everyone had been mistaken at how bad his leg had been hurt, but he knew better. His leg had been bruised and swollen and had been very painful to walk on, but when he finally got to his own time he was able to stand on it with no trouble.

He was putting on his shoes when Abby walked in the room.

Abby smiled at Connor as she entered the room, "Hey Connor, you ready to get out of here?"

"I am so ready to get out of here. I hate being in the hospital". He finished lacing up his shoes and stood to grab his bag, but was stopped by Abby.

"Sorry Connor, I'll take that for you. You get to ride in a wheelchair to my car".

As if it were planned, a nurse came in at the exact moment Abby got finished saying the word wheel chair. "OK Mr. Temple, it looks like you're all set to go. Now all you need to do is sit down and let me wheel you out of here".

Connor could have easily walked out, but he had been around hospitals enough to know how they worked. "Ok Nurse Terry, but I hope you let Abby push; I've seen the way you drive the medicine cart around here".

Nurse Terry enjoyed Connor's sense of humor and gave him a look a mother might give to her child when they were being naughty, "Oh I am going to miss you too Mr. Temple, now sit down".

Connor did as he was told and was happy to see that Abby was going to push him out. Abby grabbed hold of the handles and pushed him out into the hallway. Nurse Terry was not far behind them.

"Now you remember if you have any more of those headaches I want you to get in contact with the doctor".

"Yes Nurse Terry, I will".

"Take care of yourself and I hope we don't have you visiting us anytime soon".

Connor waved goodbye as Abby pushed him toward the elevator. He hoped he wouldn't end up here anytime soon either, but the two headaches he had experienced since getting back had been the worse he had ever felt. He had never had a migraine before, but this is what he was told they were. He just hoped it was a side effect from all the action he had been part of recently and that he would not have any when he got home. But just in case he did, and to help him sleep, the doctor had given him a prescription for any future occurrences.

As Abby pushed Connor into the parking garage she broke the silence that had started when they left the nurse, "You've gotten awfully quite Connor, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh…., Oh Sorry Abby, I was just thinking?"

"Oh, what were you thinking about?"

"Just thinking about what we are going to do now that we have stopped Helen".

Abby stopped pushing the chair once she reached the passenger's side of her car, "What do you mean Connor? We'll keep doing what we were doing before. I don't think anything will change now that Helen is gone. Actually I anticipate things to be much better now that she is gone".

Connor remained in the wheelchair as he responded, "Oh, I don't know. There seems to be something different with all of this now. While I was lying in the hospital I had time to think about what we were doing and there seems to be something missing".

Abby opened the car door and waited for Connor to get inside before she pushed the chair over to the elevator. She headed back to her car and opened her door. She took her seat in the car and continued their conversation, "We'll I bet you that once you're back at the ARC you won't feel like anything is missing. You'll finally feel like your home once you're behind your computers again". She knew he always felt better when he was playing with his computers or tinkering with some new electronic toy.

Connor looked out the window as Abby drove off toward home. He just hoped she was right and that everything would feel the same once he got back to work. He would have preferred to go back today, but Abby told him to take his time. He knew she was only looking out for him but the sooner he could get back to work the sooner he might be able to figure out what happened to him. He was also anxious to see how their new team member was working out. Abby had told him she was working at the ARC now and he had to wonder what new problems would lay ahead with her around.

* * *

It had only been a couple of days since the team had gotten back to their own time and Danny still couldn't believe they had given Trina a job at the ARC. Just because she may have information that could help their cause was no reason to let her stay here, but according to Lester it was not his idea. He did at least get Lester to agree that she was not allowed to go on any missions. Lester said that her main priority was to work with the research and development team on some new weapons.

Another thing that Danny had to get use to was the creation of an additional team that would be used to investigate the anomalies. He had been angry when he heard this because he thought they didn't waste any time in replacing them, but he had been reassured that although it was discussed, it was not the main reason for another team. There had been more anomalies reported lately and in order to keep up with them they decided that two teams would be the best. Danny thought there may have been a third reason which had to do with how he led a team to go after Helen without proper approval and backup, but no one would admit to it; in fact there was little discussion about what he did at all. But this didn't bother him. If he had it to do all over again he would not have changed a thing about going after Helen.

Sarah had been the first one who had noticed Danny's mood today. She had tried everything to get him to laugh and smile, but nothing seemed to work. But she wasn't about to stop trying because she was so glad he was home; that they were all home. She remembered how she felt when she saw him again and wanted to hold him and never let go, but she kept these feelings to herself; for the moment anyway.

Danny had noticed the extra attention from Sarah and appreciated it, but it still didn't put him in a very good mood. He hoped she understood his feelings at the moment and that she would keep trying. He had grown fond of her and had thought of her on several occasions while he was trapped in the past. He had also hoped to tell her how he felt when he got home, but now didn't seem like the right time. Ever since getting home he had noticed something different between Sarah and Becker and didn't want to intrude. After finding out that their son was a lieutenant in an alternate future, he didn't know if there was something going on between them right now that he had never noticed before learning about their son. In order to not think about it he decided to give work his full attention. He still felt threatened by having Trina around and knew she would take up much of his time.

* * *

**Chapter 2: **

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Trina was very pleased with herself. She had managed to escape the inevitable fate that her coworkers from her own time had unknowingly been part of and could now make something of herself in this new time. She knew a lot more that anyone here and was very confident that the information she possessed would move her up the command ladder. Once she was in a better position she could do what she wanted and there wouldn't be anyone to stop her.

There was only one thing that could spoil her new found paradise and that was Danny. She saw how he looked at her and knew that he was not happy with this arrangement, but as long as she gave his bosses what they wanted she would be able to stay no matter what Danny did. But she knew she had to watch her back.

Luckily today would not be one of those days. She would be working in the research department away from Danny and his prying eyes. She would quietly formulate her plan of attack without anyone being the wiser.

She couldn't help but smile as she made her way to the 3rd floor. The look on her face said it all, but there was no one there to see it. Had there been anyone around at that exact moment, they would have been able to see directly into her soul and would have known who she really was.

* * *

Connor woke up in a cold sweat and his head was pounding. A momentary look of confusion covered his face as he looked around the room, but he soon remembered where he was. It had been awhile since the last time he had woken up in Abby's flat, but he hoped it would become a regular occurrence now that he was living here again.

He slowly got up and made his way to the mirror. He looked at the face staring back at him. For some reason it looked different from what he remembered, but it was the 'why' that he had yet to figure out. He also felt different, but he figured that was due to all the action he had been through. It would only make sense that someone who had gone back into the past and seen and done some of the things he had would feel different.

He turned away from the mirror and pulled on his robe. Usually Abby had the heat up on high for Rex, but he was cold this morning; which made him wonder if something was wrong with Rex. He hadn't seen the little guy since he got back, but he hadn't asked about him either.

He entered the kitchen and found a pitcher of orange juice sitting on the table along with 2 empty glasses. He also smelled something cooking on the stove and suddenly realized how hungry he was. It seemed like forever since he had had some good food to eat. A closer inspection of the pan on the burner revealed something that he was not very fond of, but at this point it was home cooked and he was starving.

He was stirring the cream of wheat when he heard a noise from the other room. He looked toward the sound just in time to see Abby enter the room.

Abby gave Connor a quick once over before saying anything, "Good morning Connor, I hope you slept well"?

Connor put the spoon down as he responded, "I did, but I still feel like I could use some more".

"Maybe a nice little nap after breakfast will do the trick".

Connor shook his head, "No, I have done nothing but rest for the last couple of days; I just want to get back into my old routine and maybe head over to the ARC today". A sudden chill coursed through his body as he turned back toward the stove. He closed his robe tighter around his body before turning back to Abby, "Do you think we could turn the heat up a little?"

Abby gave him a look of concern, "Sure Connor, but it already feels like a sauna in here. Are you sure you're ready to go back to work today? Maybe you should just go back and lay down for awhile".

A sauna was the last thing he would have thought this place felt like "Maybe a nice warm shower is all I need". He didn't want to continue with this topic for fear she would make him stay home. He really just wanted to have his life return to normal.

Abby had Connor sit at the table while she fixed up some plates for the both of them. She added some fresh fruit to the bowls and made sure that Connor had some brown sugar for his cream of wheat. She knew this was the only way he would eat it.

They ate in silence and when Connor was done she took the empty dishes away while he slowly made his way to bathroom for a shower. She wished he would stay home a few more days. Ever since they got him back he seemed different. She didn't think it possible for someone to change so much in such a short amount of time, but he had. It had been less than an hour between the times she saw Connor enter the anomaly from the future to the time he came through into the present, but it was obviously enough to do something to him. She couldn't quite figure out what was different but she knew she had to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Standing under the water felt invigorating at first, but the longer he stood under the streaming water the more his head started feeling funny. He had woken up with a headache, but thought it had gone away after breakfast. He wasn't sure this was the start of another headache or not. It didn't feel like it; for some reason this felt different.

After he rinsed the rest of the shampoo out of his hair his vision suddenly went dark. At first he thought he had gotten some soap in his eyes so while he was trying to rinse them out there was suddenly an explosion of light followed by an image. He tried to see whatever was in front of him, but he couldn't focus on it. It looked like the shape of a person standing in a field of green waving to him, but he couldn't be sure. He closed his eyes quickly hoping it would help his vision but it didn't. The image was still blurred.

A loud banging startled him, causing the image to suddenly fade away. It also made his hand hit the side of the shower as his head turned toward the noise. He was looking at his hand when the sound came again, but this time it was followed by Abby's voice.

"Hey Connor, are you ok in there; what was that noise. I was getting worried since you were in there so long".

Connor turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before opening the door.

Abby thought he looked like he had seen a ghost when he opened the door. His face was pale and his eyes were glazed over as he looked at her, "Hey are you OK?"

"Yeah Abby,,,,, I didn't realize how long I was in here. I didn't mean to make you worry".

Abby could see that he was shivering as he stood there so she grabbed his robe and threw it around his shoulders, "Why don't you sit down while I dry your hair off".

Connor did as he was told and took a seat on the toilet. He closed his eyes as he felt Abby's fingers run through his hair. He always enjoyed it when someone played with his hair. Before he knew it Abby was lightly shaking him awake.

"Connor, you awake in there? You're all done so I think you should get dressed and go lay down for awhile. And before you complain about it, we will go to the ARC once you have had some more sleep, but not before then".

Connor could only smile at her as she helped him up. One he was in his bed he didn't even bother to remove the wet towel from under his robe. He sank his head back on his pillow while Abby covered him up. He was asleep before Abby even left the room.

* * *

An hour later he opened his eyes. The room was dark and for a minute he thought he had slept too long, but he soon realized the blinds were just closed. He rubbed his head as he sat up. He had managed to fall asleep, but the vision that he had seen in the shower had found its way into his dream; which caused him to be even more confused.

He decided it would do him no good to dwell on its meaning. He had had plenty of odd dreams before without being able to understand what they were so he figured this was just another one to add to the list.

He got up, put on some fresh new clothes and went in search of Abby.

* * *

Abby was watching Connor like as hawk as he made his way into work. She still thought he could have put this off until tomorrow, but she didn't want to mention it again for fear it would add undue stress.

Once they were inside the building they were greeted by several of their coworkers who wanted to welcome them back to work. It felt good to be back and by the way Connor was acting she knew he felt the same way.

The excitement was short lived however as Lester appeared somewhere amongst the crowd, "Abby, Connor, I would like to see you in my office in 10 minutes".

Connor looked in Abby's direction as he said, "Some things never change".

* * *

Danny had heard that Connor and Abby were in the building and he wanted nothing more than to go and see them, but he knew that Lester would get to them first.

He found Sarah working behind one of the computers and it was she who confirmed the location of his two friends. He knew they would be in Lester's office for awhile, since he had to go through the same ordeal when he got back.

He would meet up with them later. He had more pressing business to attend to at the moment. It seems that Trina was proving her skills quicker than he thought. She had only been working with the research team for a day and already she had managed to improve one of their weapons. Becker and his men were going to go out and test the 2 that had been modified and Danny was going along. He knew that Trina would be staying behind because she had agreed to show some of the soldiers a few new moves.

Becker found Danny waiting with some of his men, "Danny, you look like you're ready to go".

"I am at that. I'm curious to see the new weapon up close and in action". Danny climbed into the truck being driven by Becker while the rest of the men followed behind in a second truck. As they headed out toward the firing range, Danny looked back at the ARC. Not very much had changed while they were gone, but he had a feeling that would not be the case now that they were back. He had a feeling that all of them were in for a lot more before their lives could return to normal.

* * *

**Chapter 3: **

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After enduring 2 hours in Lester's office, Connor and Abby were finally allowed to leave. They knew that their time in the past and the future would need to be discussed, but they didn't think Lester would have had so many questions.

During their questioning Abby thought that Connor seemed distracted, "Hey Connor, you were awfully quiet in there. Do you have another headache?"

Connor stopped walking and turned to Abby, "No I feel fine, I just wasn't in the mood I guess".

Abby hadn't been in the mood either, but she knew if they didn't get it done today, Lester would only hound them until they did. But if Lester was annoyed by Connor's lack of answers he didn't seem to show it. "So, what do you think Lester was implying when he said we won't understand the full ramifications of our actions for some time, if ever".

"I think that he is worried that our little excursion may have changed more than we think, but honestly I don't know how he would ever miss something he never knew he had".

Abby hadn't expected Connor to give such a response, "Wow that was deep Connor. But I have a feeling that you're absolutely correct".

Now it was Connor's turn to be surprised. Normally he and Abby spent a lot of time having her tell him why he was wrong so he wasn't expecting her to say he was right so quickly.

He hadn't realized that he was thinking about her response so intently until Abby was shaking his arm.

"Connor, you home? Where were you just then? All of a sudden you were just staring at me as if you had just met me for the first time".

Connor didn't know what to say to that, so he just smiled instead before changing the subject, "So what shall we do today?"

"I don't know about you, but I have to go and check on my plants. I bet no one has been taking care of them properly".

Connor knew how much she adored her plants, but this was the last thing he wanted to do. "I bet they haven't. Well I'm going to go and check on my computers then".

As Abby took the corridor to the left Connor kept going straight until he ended up at the end of the hallway. He hesitated at the doorway for a moment before pushing it open. As he stepped inside the room his ears were instantly besieged with a familiar noise. He never thought he would miss his computers, but the mere sight of them made his heart beat faster. He started to make his way to his usual chair but never made it. As soon as the 3 people working in the room saw him, they descended on him like vultures.

One person in particular was bound and determined to make sure he had his attention. "Hey Connor, oh I am so glad to have you back. You wouldn't believe the trouble I had with your program, but I'm sure that you can tell us what's wrong with it".

Connor looked annoyed at the prospect that something was wrong with his computers and had to stop his friend, "Hey Seth, slow down there. Now tell me what's wrong with it".

Seth led Connor to his terminal, "Well, I was trying to enter some new data into the program and it seemed to freeze up when I did that. When I went to remove it, it said that I didn't have authorization to make that change so I tried to override it, but then it just shut down completely so I took the whole thing apart, but I don't think I put it back together correctly".

Connor was horrified at what Seth was telling him. "Why would you do that?"

Seth had a sudden look of guilt on his face. He looked at the other 2 people in the room for assistance at what to say next, but could tell they were trying to avoid him. "Well Connor, I know you don't like anyone to touch your stuff, but Lester wanted the changes and we didn't know if you were ever coming back so…", he stopped, not knowing what else to say.

Connor let Seth's words sink in and it made him mad. He didn't think they had been gone long enough to warrant anyone from doing what Seth had confessed to doing. He didn't know if he was mad at him or at Lester for even thinking to make changes without him. Everyone knew that he didn't like anyone to touch his stuff. The anger he was feeling kept him from saying anything but he saw the looks that he was getting from everyone. They were waiting to see what he would do. He really didn't feel like saying anything except to tell everyone to get out so that he could fix what had been done, but his head started to hurt making him lose his balance. He managed to grab onto one of the chairs just in time before he lost his footing. He held on tight to the chair waiting for the pain to decide what it was going to do. He didn't realize that once again everyone was looking at him, but this time it was a look of concern.

Seth was the first to act, "Connor, you ok there?"

Connor rubbed his forehead as he look at Seth, "I just have a headache".

Seth didn't want to make things worse, "Why don't you sit down and I will go get you some water. Our discussion can wait until you are feeling better".

"Thanks Seth". Connor took a seat and turned to the computer screen, not wanting to face anyone. His head still hurt, but luckily it didn't seem to be getting any worse.

As he waited for Seth he looked at the computer and decided to log on to the system to see what truly was wrong with it. He was glad that he was still able to access everything, but he always had a secret way to get back in if they had ever removed him. After all this was a system he had put together so it would only stand to reason that he should be able to access it whenever he chose.

He had already found several things that irritated him when Seth returned with some water. He took the bottle and thanked him, but then he told him to leave him alone so he could figure out what was wrong. He knew that he would be here awhile so he didn't wait for Seth to leave before he got back to work.

When Abby went to get Connor for lunch, she found him sitting on the floor surrounded by bits and pieces of what she could only imagine came from his computers. He looked right at home, but she didn't expect him to have gotten this far in such a short time. "You're only back a few hours and already you have this whole thing pulled apart".

Connor didn't even bother to stop what he was doing when he responded, "Yep, they did one heck of a job on my system".

Abby got down on her knees to get a closer look, "Well, I think it is time we stop and go get something to eat". She knew how much he liked his food so she knew he would stop at the mention of it.

When Connor didn't respond the way she thought he would, she didn't bother to ask again, this time she insisted. She took the screwdriver out of his hand and said, "Come on Connor, time to go eat something".

Connor wanted to stay and work, but he knew better than to say no to Abby. He gave her a quick smirk of surrender and got up from the floor.

They were just about ready to leave when Lester came into the room. "What is all of this?"

Lester looked around at the mess on the floor and his eyes went straight to Connor, "What have you done to the computer this time Connor?"

Connor never knew how to handle himself around Lester when he was in this mood. He started to say something in his defense but Lester started talking again.

"Where is Seth, someone find Seth and tell him to get in here to fix this". He looked at Connor, "I think it might be a good idea if you take the rest of the day off".

Connor looked wounded at the thought that Lester would rather have someone else working on this. "I don't need Seth, I can do this myself".

Lester glared at Connor as he considered his words, "I want this back in working order by the end of the day".

Connor looked at the mess he created, "I don't know if that's possible. Seth told me there was something wrong with it to begin with and I haven't been able to figure out what it is yet".

This was not what Lester wanted to hear. His voiced reached an angry tone, "I want it working by the end of the day".

Before Connor could respond another voice spoke, "If you let me look at it, I bet I could get it working".

All eyes turned to Trina. No one had seen or heard her enter the room so her presence was startling to everyone in the room.

Lester looked at Trina with hopeful eyes. He didn't know much about the woman, but she had proven useful so far; despite Danny's warning of her. "Well get on with it then. I expect between the two of you one of you will manage to put it back together".

All eyes were on Lester as he left the room, but Connor's eyes turned to Abby immediately after, "Well it looks like you'll be having lunch on your own".

Abby wasn't happy about this turn of events, "I'll bring you something to eat since I know I'll never get you away from this place".

Connor watched as Abby left and then turned his attention back to the mess he had created. He quickly looked at Trina but turned away before she became aware of it. He didn't want her help and hoped that she would grow bored of it and eventually leave.

Trina had noticed the look on Connor's face and knew he wasn't happy with having her help, but this was exactly where she wanted to be.

* * *

**Chapter 4: **

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By the time Abby had gotten back to Connor with some food she could tell he was not happy at all with his new work partner.

As soon as Connor saw Abby he rushed up to her, "Please just kill me now, that woman is driving me insane".

Abby looked over Connor's shoulder while he was talking. She could tell Trina had heard every word, but it wasn't hard since Connor wasn't trying to keep his voice down. She could only smile at the other woman as she pulled him away. "Connor, you should keep your voice down, she can hear you".

"I don't care if she can hear me; actually I would be glad if she heard me for once. She acts like I am not even here and keeps doing whatever she wants". Connor stopped talking as his breathing became slightly labored and his head started pounding.

Abby noticed as Connor's demeanor suddenly changed and could tell that he must be getting another headache. "Here Connor, I think you should sit down before you get yourself all worked up".

He didn't argue and took a seat while rubbing his head. He needed to calm down or he would be in a whole world of pain soon.

Trina walked over to the table when she noticed Connor sitting down, "I think you should just do as Lester suggested and take the rest of the day off. I'll be able to handle this by myself".

Connor looked up at Trina, "No, I'm fine. I can do this".

"You're not doing anything until after you have eaten something". Abby knew that she would be unable to talk him into coming home with her so the least she could do was make sure he had something to eat.

Connor looked at her and was grateful she didn't argue with him. He was even more grateful when she pulled his little bottle of pills out of her pocket. He didn't normally like taking the pills, but he could tell he would need them before the day came to an end.

Once Connor had eaten something and taken his medicine Abby reluctantly left to tend to other things. She decided she would give him a few more hours, but then he was going to go home and rest.

* * *

Danny and Becker had tested the modified weapons that Trina had provided them with and both were impressed. Despite the hesitation Danny had with the woman, he had to wonder what else she had. The weapon they had already tested would undoubtedly help them in a sticky situation so any other weapons would surely do the same. He just had to wonder what she expected out of all of this, but whatever it was he was sure it would be something that could only benefit her.

Becker had gone to work with his men on modifying more weapons while Danny went in search of Connor and Abby. He hadn't talked to either of them since they arrived earlier and was rather anxious to see them. They were the only other two that would understand how he was feeling; something which he had been unable to express to his other friends, especially Sarah. He wanted to get Sarah alone but for some reason she was still acting funny around him.

As he walked toward the main computer room he practically ran into Abby.

"Hey watch where you're going", as Abby looked to see who had run into her the tone in her voice changed, "Oh Danny, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was you, I didn't mean to yell at you".

Danny smiled at her, knowing exactly how she was feeling. Everyone and everything around here felt a little off and it was easy for him to lose his temper, so why would he expect Abby to act any different. "That's ok Abby, where were you going in such a hurry".

"Connor is just so stubborn and that woman is so infuriating".

Danny was a little confused by the second part, but he didn't have to wonder very long who she was talking about.

"I can't believe that Lester is letting Trina work on the computer with Connor. Why is he bending over backward for a woman he doesn't even know? He knows how we all feel about her."

"I don't know Abby, but I don't want you to worry. I plan on keeping a close eye on Trina".

Abby looked back at the door she had just come from and then back to Danny, "Do you think you could go and check on Connor. I'm worried that he is going to work himself to death in there just to prove once again to Lester that he can handle the job".

Danny knew how Connor could be, "I'll do that Abby. Why don't you go home; I can give Connor a ride home".

Abby didn't want to leave but knew she could trust Danny. "Ok, but call me if you can't get him to leave".

Danny waited until Abby left before he went into see Connor.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the room was the mess on the floor followed by Trina standing over one of the monitors. He didn't see Connor until he moved to the other side of the counter, and even then he didn't see anything but his legs. Connor was on his back and had himself wedged under the largest monitor. He ignored Trina as he positioned himself directly in front of his friend, "Hey Connor".

The only response that came from Connor was "Owww" as he tried to maneuver his way out. He sat up rubbing his head; having just banged it on something when he sat up.

Danny stretched his arm toward Connor, "Here, let me help you up".

Connor took the offered hand and was on his feet within seconds. He had to lean against the counter as a wave of dizziness hit him. He tried to hide it, but it was obviously too late.

"Here Connor, come and sit down so I can look at your head".

Connor reluctantly complied with the request and let out a loud huff of air when he sat down. "I'm fine Danny; I really need to get back to work".

"Not until I check you out. Besides, I promised Abby, so please don't get me in trouble with her ok mate".

Connor put his head back and closed his eyes as Danny probed his head.

"Well it looks like you'll live Connor, but might I suggest you go home for the night?"

"Oh not you too Danny; I should have known Abby would put you up to this". He wanted to wave him off and get up, but he felt Danny apply a little pressure to his shoulders preventing his escape.

"She is just worried about you; and so am I. This can all wait until tomorrow".

Connor looked over at Trina; who by now had stopped working to watch the show, "No I can't; I need to get this done".

"If you feel like you have to prove something to Lester, than you're wrong".

"No, I don't care what he thinks. I need to do this for myself Danny".

Connor had stopped talking, but Danny could tell there was more to the story than his friend was admitting to. "Well I didn't say you had to stop doing it, I just meant that it can wait until tomorrow".

"No, it needs to be done tonight".

Danny could see the conversation was starting to upset him so he decided not to pursue the notion of leaving. Instead he stayed and helped Connor as best as he could all the while trying to avoid Trina.

* * *

"What are you still doing here?"

As Connor heard Lester's voice, he stopped what he was doing and looked up from his work. He was about to say something when Trina's voice sounded off.

"We're almost done here, it won't be long now". She seemed pleased with herself and waited eagerly for a response.

"Well this can wait until tomorrow. I want everyone to go home now". Instead of waiting for a response Lester turned and addressed Connor personally, "Connor, now that you are living at Abby's I expect you to come and get your stuff out of my place and don't forget to take your pets".

Connor just stared at him as he left. He was surprised that Lester wasn't mad that everything wasn't done, but he was ok with going home. He had stayed longer than he had wanted, but now he could go home and get some sleep. A small smile came over his face at the thought of being able to call Abby's place home again. He would not miss living at Lester's house at all.

Danny noticed Connor's smile but chose not to say anything. "Well I can drive you home Connor".

"Ok mate; that sounds good". He picked up his jacket that he had tossed on the floor earlier in the day when he noticed that Trina had gone back to work. He knew what she was up to and he was willing to stay to prove to everyone that he was still capable of doing this job.

Luckily Danny saved the day, "Trina, Lester said that everyone had to go home".

Trina responded without looking at him, "I just want to get a few more things done before I go".

Danny walked over to her and grabbed the screwdriver out of her hand, "He said everyone so that means you too".

Trina was about to object, but the look on Danny's face convinced her that he was not backing down on this. "Ok, I'll leave".

Danny and Connor made sure that she left the room first before exiting themselves.

* * *

Abby had been relieved to have Connor home. She had prepared some food for him, but he was asleep on the couch before she had a chance to give it to him. Instead of waking him so he could move to his bed, she just covered him up and went to clean up the kitchen.

As Connor lay sleeping his mind started dreaming. He found himself looking out toward a green field and the same woman he had dreamt of before was there, only this time he could see her better. He didn't know this woman's name, but somehow he knew they were close. He walked toward her but she never seemed to get any closer to him. In fact it almost seemed like she was starting to slip away.

He tried to find his voice and call out to her, but he couldn't. He felt totally helpless and was starting to panic. He stopped moving in hopes she would as well. It seemed to work, but her appearance was once again getting blurry; as it had been the first time he dreamed of her. He was feeling desperate to say something to her when she suddenly came into full view and was no longer fuzzy. It only lasted a second but in that brief moment she uttered, "You have to stop her".

Connors eyes opened suddenly. The image of the woman was clear in his mind, as were her words. The only problem was he didn't know who this woman was or what she meant.

* * *

**Chapter 5: **

**

* * *

**

Connor woke up feeling stiff. As he sat up he instantly knew what caused the pain in his back. He had fallen asleep on the couch again. He swung his legs over the side and covered his face with his hands as he leaned forward. The backache wasn't the only thing he woke up with; he was also starting to feel a headache coming on.

A quick glance at the clock revealed it was still early, but he knew he needed to get up. He thought some food would help his head and fill his stomach in case he needed his pills; he always hating taking them on an empty stomach.

He got up and sauntered over to the refrigerator. Once there he pulled out the juice and some butter for toast. He didn't feel like making too much food since he didn't really feel very hungry, but it should be enough.

He was sitting at the table when Abby sleepily entered the room.

"Hey Connor, you're up kind of early. Is there anything wrong?"

He slowly lifted his head as he answered, "No, I was just ready to get up. I'm sorry if I woke you up". He knew she was also not much of a morning person.

"It was time for me to get up. How long have you been up anyway?"

Connor had no idea, "I don't know; what time is it".

"It's 7 in the morning".

"Oh", was all he said when he realized that he had been sitting at the table for over 2 hours. A quick sip of his juice confirmed the time as he found it to be room temperature.

Abby took a seat next to Connor, "I take it you've been up for awhile".

Connor didn't answer right away, but managed to change the subject before Abby could say anymore. "I think I'll go take a shower before work".

Abby watched Connor get up and make his way to the bathroom. She couldn't tell what was wrong, but she knew that something was bothering him.

* * *

The anomaly alarm sounding off was the first thing that Danny noticed when he walked in. The second thing he noticed was Sarah and Becker getting supplies ready.

Becker looked up as Danny approached, "It's about time you showed up".

A quick smirk formed on Danny's face as he answered, "Where are we headed today?"

"Not sure Danny, but now that you are here we can get going".

Danny looked around and noticed there was something missing. He saw Becker and Sarah there, but he didn't see Abby and Connor.

As if Sarah had read his mind she answered his question, "Abby had to take Connor to the emergency room so they won't be joining us this trip".

Danny was instantly concerned at the mention of the emergency room, "what happened?"

"Connor tripped down the stairs on his way to work this morning so Abby was going to have his leg looked at. She said it wasn't bad but she didn't want to take any chances. I imagine they will be here waiting for us when we get back".

Danny was relieved to hear it wasn't serious. "Well let's get going then". He hadn't gone out on any missions since he had gotten back and he was sort of looking forward to it since it would mean things were finally getting back to normal.

As they headed out toward the truck Danny couldn't help but notice Trina standing with Lester. He thought she was starting to look awfully comfortable here, but he tried not to let it bother him.

* * *

The nurse walked up to Abby, who was reading one of the many outdated magazines that were scattered about the waiting room. "Excuse me; you came in with Connor Temple, didn't you?"

Abby put the magazine down, "Yes, is there something wrong?"

"No, there's nothing to worry about. The doctor was wondering if you wanted to go back into the examination room and sit with your friend while he waited for the x-ray results".

Abby let out a sigh of relief when she found out it was nothing serious. She figured he would have x-rays done while he was here and it would probably take some time to get them done. "Sure, which room is he in?"

The nurse pointed toward the back of the room, "Go down that hallway and turn left. He is in room 4".

"Thanks".

It didn't take Abby long to find the room. She knocked on the door before entering and found Connor sitting up on the exam table with ice on his ankle. She could tell he felt miserable, but didn't mention it, "Hey Connor, they said I could come in and keep you company while you waited for your x-rays".

Connor gave her a half smile; his voice filled with obvious discomfort as he responded, "I was hoping they would let you come back. I hate sitting in these rooms".

Abby knew he didn't like hospitals or doctors, but she never really knew why. She figured someday she would ask, but today was not the right time. "So what did they say about your ankle; do they think you broke it?"

He shook his head, "No, they think it is just a minor sprain, but it hurts enough that I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't broken".

Abby remembered the last time she had to help him get around after hurting his ankle. He hadn't broken it then, but she knew he was in a lot of pain.

There was not much conversation between the two as they waited. It was mainly just small talk which made Abby feel a little awkward. She knew Connor better than this so why was it so hard to talk to him. She didn't have to worry about it long. She was only in the room for 15 minutes when the doctor knocked on the door and came in.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Wilson, you must be Connor's friend?"

Abby grasped the doctors extended hand for a handshake, "Yes, thanks for letting me sit with him".

"So Connor, is the ice helping any?" The doctor asked the question while he placed some x-rays in the lighted panel on the wall.

"It helped numb the area, so yeah I guess it has helped".

"Glad to hear that. You will also be glad to know that you didn't break it again. Frankly I am surprised that you didn't do more harm to it considering the amount of scar tissue from your last break".

Connor looked confused, "What are you talking about? I've never broken my ankle before".

"Well that's not what your x-ray says". The doctor pointed to an area on the ankle bone, "You see this area and the way it looks darker and fuzzier than the other areas? Well this tells me that you broke this bone pretty bad and the way it healed left scarring on the bone".

"But I don't remember ever breaking my ankle. Is it possible from the x-ray to indicate how long ago this happened, maybe it was when I was too little to remember".

"No, the break actually looks pretty recent, at least in the last 2 years maybe".

Connor didn't ask any more questions. Instead he looked over at Abby to see what she was thinking. He couldn't really tell what the look on her face meant, but it was enough to see that she was also thinking about what the doctor had just told them.

If the doctor found the information a bit strange, he didn't seem to show it. "Well, I would suggest that you stay off that leg of yours for awhile; allow it some time to heal properly. I am going to give you a prescription for some pain killers and have the nurse fit you with some crutches for the next couple of weeks. I also recommend you elevating it when you're not standing. Do you have any questions for me?"

"No I don't think so; thank you doctor".

Abby stayed with Connor while the nurse gave him his prescription and fitted him to crutches that were the right height. When the nurse left the room, she helped him out of the building toward her car. "Well I think that I should take you back home so you can rest your leg".

"No, can we just go to the ARC for a while. I really need to keep working on the computer system. I can rest my leg later".

* * *

Abby started the car and turned to Connor, she could tell he was in pain, "Well I know that talking you out of going to work is a waste of time".

The drive to work was similar to the wait she had in the exam room; quiet. But this gave her time to think about what the doctor had said to Connor. How could he not remember breaking his ankle; especially if it happened in the last couple of years? The closest she knew to him hurting his ankle was back when they were looking for Helen and then ended up in an altered future. But he hadn't broken it; actually he hadn't done too much damage to it at all because as soon as he finally came back through the anomaly to their own time, there was nothing wrong with his ankle. She planned on talking to Danny about this when she got to work. This was just another thing to add to the mystery surrounding Connor. They hadn't really talked about what happened when Connor failed to come through the same anomaly they had, but this might be the subject to start talking about what happened to him. She had lots of questions and it was time to start getting some answers.

* * *

**Chapter 6: **

**

* * *

**

Connor slowly made his way into the building while Abby held the door open for him. He ignored the stares of sympathy he was getting from those watching him and made his way to his usual work area. He was expecting to find things just the way he left them but was surprised when he found that everything from the night before had been put back together. He saw Trina sitting in his chair and he was not happy about it.

Trina looked up to find the source of the noise and found a very unhappy looking face. "Hi Connor, I heard about your mishap, I do hope you are ok?"

Connor was in no mood to have a chat with her. "I'll be better when you get out of my chair".

"I was only working on the new specs that were put in. I have managed to re-align some of the old parameters and I have finally gotten the new program running. It will need some tests before we can be sure how it works, but it should improve things greatly".

Connor was about to object to everything she said when Lester entered the room. "Well Connor, it is so nice of you to join us, but as you can see we have everything under control. I think the best thing for you would be to go home and rest; you don't look in any condition to be working today". He looked over at Abby who had followed Connor into the room, "Abby, I would like you to take Connor home, and make sure he stays home until he is feeling better".

Abby liked the idea of Connor going home, but she didn't like how Lester was treating him. She thought the tone in his voice was a little condescending and she had to wonder how much of this was attributed to Trina. She walked over to stand next to Connor, "Come on Connor, I think Lester is right about you resting".

Connor had had enough. Usually he was just a happy go lucky kind of guy that was just happy to be noticed and taken seriously once in awhile, but there was something about this whole set up that was not making him very happy. "I'm fine Lester; I think I would be of much better use here".

"This is not up for debate Connor". Without giving Connor a chance to protest, Lester left the room.

Abby took Connors arm and was surprised by his strength as he resisted her attempt at pulling him out of the room. She never remembered him feeling so strong before, but then again she had never paid much attention to it. She was also surprised by his behavior; which had changed ever since they had gotten him back. She pulled at his arm again and was thankful that he obliged her request.

Trina inwardly smiled to herself after the two of them left the room.

* * *

Abby had seen Connor mad before, but the way he acted on the way home was something altogether new. She knew he was upset, but she thought he would get over it before they got home. She couldn't have been more wrong.

She turned off the car and rushed over to the passenger's side after arriving home. She opened the door and couldn't help but feel sympathy for Connor. They were only a few minutes away from her place when his head started pounding. She knew it was a bad headache when he doubled over in pain and placed his head in his hands for the rest of the ride home. "Come on Connor, let me help you inside".

Connor wanted to get of the car, but it was as if moving his hands away from this head would make things worse. He resisted the tug on his arm at first, but it was when he felt her hands reached out and pull his own hands away from his face that he felt he could move.

Abby's first instinct when she couldn't get him to move was to take him straight to the hospital, but she didn't want to upset him anymore than he already was so she kept trying. When she finally got him out of the car she felt his body go limp as he leaned on her for support. She did her best and soon she had him inside and sitting on the couch.

Within minutes she had Connors pain pills and a cold towel for his head. "Here Connor, I want you to take these". She handed him the pills and waited for him to pop them in his mouth. She thought he would say something about the number of pills he was taking, but when he didn't she was glad. She had remembered the doctor telling her that he could take more if needed and she felt this was one of those times. Once he had taken the water and swallowed the pills she gently pushed him down so he could lay down. Once he had his head on the pillow she put the cold towel on his forehead and stroked his hair until he closed his eyes.

With 20 minutes Connor was fast asleep. Abby covered him up with a blanket, put his sore leg up on a pillow and went into the kitchen to retrieve her phone. She wanted to discuss the day's events with Danny.

* * *

The first thing Danny saw when he entered Abby's place was Connor sleeping on the couch, "How's he doing Abby".

"I don't know Danny. Ever since we came back things just don't seem the same; especially with Connor. I can't quite place my finger on it, but there is something different with Connor".

Danny pondered Abby's words for a minute. He had also noticed slight differences, but didn't want to say anything. But Abby's admission was something he had been waiting for. Perhaps they could figure out what was going on before anyone else figured it out.

Danny wasn't around the last time someone came through the anomaly and things had changed, but he remembered hearing about the tale of when it happened to Nick Cutter. Abby had told him that he had insisted that Jenny had really been someone else to him, but never did anything about it for fear that they would have removed him from the whole operation. He knew that Abby and Connor had in the end believed him; but knew there was nothing they could do to change it. If the events were associated with someone having traveled to another time; there was no changing it if they didn't know exactly where and when it happened. They all knew that to change events while they were on a case could be detrimental to another time so they did what they could to make sure things stayed the same. He also knew that if something had happened to Connor while he was missing; there was nothing they could do about it now. They would have to make the most of it; but he just hoped it was in their favor.

Abby led Danny into the kitchen, "Would you like some tea Danny?"

Danny took a seat at the table, "Yeah that sounds good. So what did the doctor say about his ankle?"

"He said it wasn't broken, but he was to rest and stay off of it as much as possible". She paused, not sure if she should tell him the rest. She finished pouring the water for the tea; which gave her enough time to decide. "He said something else that I thought was odd".

Danny took the offered cup from Abby, "What was that".

"He said that he didn't break it this time, but was surprised he hadn't; considering the break he had had in the last couple of years was a bad one".

"What's odd about that?"

"Connor didn't remember ever breaking it and if it was in the last couple of years I don't remember it either. I thought maybe he had hurt his ankle worse that we thought before we got back to our own time, but when he finally came through there was absolutely nothing wrong with his leg. And then there are all the other things", she suddenly stopped, unsure if she should say anything more.

Danny had been listening very intently and didn't like it when she stopped. "Abby, you've been noticing things too, haven't you?"

She knew she was busted. She felt a combination of relief and fear; of relief that she was not crazy and of fear that she was correct in that the Connor that came through that day was not the same Connor they went into the past with.

* * *

**Chapter 7: **

**

* * *

**

Connor looked out toward the greenest field he had ever seen. He never knew something could be so beautiful, so captivating. He didn't have a clue as to how he had gotten here, but for some reason it didn't seem to matter. He just kept moving forward on the small overgrown trail, not sure of where it led.

He walked the trail for some time; all the while allowing the majestic view to consume his thoughts. The ground was so covered with overgrowth that he had stopped paying attention to the road ahead. Had he been looking he would have seen that he was headed for a large hole. Had he been watching he would have been able to stop the excruciating pain that was about to be inflicted on his already sore ankle.

"ARRRGH", Connors ankle had nowhere else to go but down into the hole; the ground swallowed up his bad ankle. Before he had a chance to think about what he was doing he moved forward in an attempt to rescue his leg. The sound that he heard was that of bone breaking. The next sound that he heard was the cry of pain that came from his mouth as the rest of his body fell to the ground.

He slowly pulled his leg up from the hole, trying not to pass out from the pain. Once it was out he lay back while holding his leg. He wanted to shout out for help, but since he had no idea of where he was he didn't know if anyone would come. He felt a wave a nausea flow through him; which only made things worse. He closed his eyes in hoping the feeling would go away.

He didn't know how long he had been lying the on the ground, but he knew he had to figure out where he was and find some help. He still had his eyes closed when he felt as if he were no longer alone. He slowly opened his eyes to find out that his senses were still intact. He found that he was staring at a woman who he had never seen before yet he somehow knew who she was. His pain was momentarily forgotten as he looked at her face. He could see that she was talking to him, but his ears heard nothing. He wanted to ask her to speak up but never got the chance. The image before him started to blur. Soon he could only see a fuzzy outline of her. He reached his hand toward her to make her stop and cried out "Wait, don't leave me, who are you?"

* * *

Abby was sitting at the kitchen table with Danny when she heard Connor cry out. She was on her feet within seconds to check on him; Danny wasn't too far behind.

Abby could tell that he was still asleep, but he had one hand reaching up toward the ceiling while the other one was cradling his leg. She went over and grabbed his extended arm and pushed it back down, "Connor, wake up".

The image of the woman was almost gone when Connor started to hear someone calling his name. He thought that perhaps the woman he had seen was coming back to him so he kept his eyes focused on the last spot she had been. He would have continued watching, but the pain in his ankle suddenly flared up, causing him to close his eyes against the pain.

It was Abby's third attempt to wake him when his eyes suddenly opened. A feeling of relief flooded through her body, but it was short lived. She looked in his eyes, but could tell he wasn't entirely awake. She could also see that he was in pain, but it was the look of confusion that worried her. He was looking at her as if he had never seen her before. She was actually glad when he closed his eyes again.

For the brief moment his eyes were open Connor had been confused. He had just been in one place only to close his eyes and open them to a new place. He looked at the woman before him and knew who she was, but it had been so long since he had seen her that he was having a hard time believing it. He had to shut his eyes again to see if his mind would clear.

Abby held on to Connors hand waiting for him to do something. She knew that Danny was watching her but was glad he was staying out of the way. She felt Connor's body start to shake; almost as if he were shivering, so she grabbed the blanket off the floor and covered him up. When he finally opened his eyes he had stopped shaking.

Connor opened his eyes again. He saw Abby's face and smiled. "Abby, what's wrong?"

Abby didn't know how to respond. She wasn't expecting the question so she paused before answering. "Connor, you were crying out in your sleep, and you looked like you were in pain?"

Connor sat up; with some assistance from Abby. "My leg does hurt, but I don't remember crying out".

"That's ok, as long as you're good now".

"I'm kinda hungry actually, is there something to eat in the kitchen". Connor looked toward the kitchen and found that he was not alone with Abby, "Hey Danny, when did you get here?"

Danny smiled, "I've been here awhile, just waiting for you to wake up".

"Super, I'm awake now and I'm starving. Are you going to stay for a while?"

"Sure Connor". Danny went over and helped Abby get Connor to his feet. Silence filled the air as the three made their way to the kitchen.

Once Connor was seated, Danny and Abby went over to the counter to fix him something to eat, "What was that all about Abby, it's almost as if he didn't remember anything from the first time he woke up".

Abby had been thinking the same thing, "I know, but I don't think he was fully awake the first time. Maybe we should talk about this later, ok".

"Sure Abby".

Connor ate while Danny and Abby sat with him. Both were hoping that he would tell them about his dream, but he never offered anything. The conversation was mostly work related since Connor thought of nothing but going back tomorrow and getting Trina away from his computers.

It didn't take Connor long to grow tired again, but this time he fell asleep in his own bed.

After helping him get to his bed, Abby went back down to where Danny waited.

"I take it he fell asleep again?"

"Yeah, I just hope it's a restful one. I wonder what he was dreaming about. He was asking someone to not leave him, what do you think that could be about?"

Danny scratched his head. He hadn't known Connor all that long so he didn't even want to try and guess. "I'm sure it was nothing. We have all been through a lot lately so I think it's only natural that some of us are having more trouble adjusting than others".

Abby wasn't convinced this was the right answer, "I don't know Danny, there is just something wrong and I don't think I am going to be able to relax until I can figure it out. Connor just seems so different at times, but then other times he seems exactly the same. Do you think it's possible he's not the same Connor?"

"I don't know what it could be Abby, but I would bet money that it has something to do with the time he was missing between our altered realities. I have been thinking a lot about this lately and there is something missing that we need to figure out, and it has to do with where ever he went or for that matter what time he went to. I've also been thinking a lot more about our newest coworker".

Abby wondered when the topic of Trina would come up.

"I've been watching her and I don't like what I have been seeing. She has gotten herself in tight with Lester a little too quickly and I'm afraid if we don't watch it she's going to be the death of us".

* * *

Authors Note: I went and revised chapters 1-7 in January 2011 and will be working on the other chapters in an attempt to get myself back into this story so that I can finish it. The changes made the chapters are only to fix the spelling and grammatical errors. The plot is still the same. I also thought I would put more chapters together so that anyone reading it can read the first 7 chapters without having to click on the page. I will be working on the next chapters and hopefully I will have this story finished. It is my oldest unfinished story on this site and I always said that I would never leave an unfinished story up, so I either have to finish it or get rid of it. I would like to finish it so that everyone who wanted to finish it could see where I was going with it. I guess it was the start of season 4 that prompted me to want to finish this. I can't say I am totally happy with the way they are doing season 4, but for the most part I am enjoying it and hope to see more.

xxxxx


	2. Chapter 8

Danny had been anxious to get to work. He had asked someone to look into Trina's family and any kind of background they could find on the woman. She may have come from the future, but she had to have started somewhere. He didn't know what he would do with the information, but it was a start.

While he was waiting for his friend to get back to him he ran into a rather ragged looking Sarah, "Hi Sarah, is something wrong, you don't look so good".

Sarah's face had lost all of its color and she looked and felt awful, but she knew it would eventually pass so she had taken the chance at coming to work. "Oh hi Danny, I'm alright. I think it must have been something I ate".

Danny looked at her and wondered why she had said it was something she had eaten that was making her sick. He could only guess that her ailment had caused her to vomit; something of which he hated when he was sick so he was even more sympathetic to her. "Maybe you should go home; you really don't look very good".

"No, I'll be fine Danny, but thanks for being concerned. Did you happen to see Becker when you came in?"

"No I haven't, sorry".

"That's ok, but if you see him can you tell him I would like to talk to him".

"Sure". Danny watched as she walked away. He knew that there was something different between her and Becker ever since they had gotten back, but he still hadn't figured out what it was. He could tell by the way she had asked about him today that she must have had something important to talk about; especially if she was sick but still came into work.

After Sarah had left Danny found his way to the main computer room. There he could see Trina busy doing what Connor used to do. It momentarily made him angry to see her in such a position, but he had to keep telling himself it was only temporary. Once Connor was back on his feet, things could get back to normal.

He wanted to go over and talk to her but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was his friend calling. "Hey Dave, what do you have for me".

"I've found out a few things for you, do you have time to discuss it?"

"Yeah, but not over the phone; I'll come and find you". He ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket. He started to walk toward one of the doors to leave when he was stopped by Lester.

"Danny, I need a word with you".

Danny let out a heavy sigh before responding, "Sure Lester, what is it you want".

"I've decided to make a few changes around here. I want you to add Trina to your team for now, at least until Connor is back to normal".

Danny couldn't believe what he was being told. He had already mentioned to Lester that he didn't want to work with this woman, let alone have her on his team. "Are you serious Lester, she has only been with us for a very short time. How can you trust her so quickly? And what is Connor going to be doing?"

"I don't need to explain my reason to you. If you want to keep working here you won't question my decision. As for Connor, I don't want you to worry about him. I have decided to put him in the research department. Once I deem him capable again you can have him back on your team".

Danny was angry and didn't bother to keep the look from his face, "is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"No that will be all Danny".

Danny stormed out of the room. He didn't know what kind of hold Trina had on Lester, but he was bound to figure it out. As soon as he was away from anyone he pulled his phone out and called his friend. "Dave, tell me what you have".

* * *

Connor and Abby had gotten a late start since both had slept in. Connor was still sleepy when he hobbled into the ARC and ran into Lester. After being told the news of his reassignment he silently made his way to the research room. He was not very happy with the news and neither was Abby, but he chose to remain quiet about it. Abby couldn't believe that he was just going to take it and ended up storming off. He hadn't wanted to start his day off like this, but he knew Abby would be back at his side once she cooled off.

He pushed open the door and found a familiar face, "Hey Paul, looks like you're stuck with me for awhile".

Paul walked over and clamped his hand firmly on Connor's shoulder, "I wouldn't quite put it that way Connor; we're honored to have you with us. I never did understand why they didn't put you with us in the first place. Your ideas are top notch once you work out all the bugs. I would say you will fit right in with the rest of us".

"Thanks Paul, so where do you want me".

"First why don't you go sit down and rest your ankle; it looks like you could use it. I need to take care of a few things and then I will let you know what we have been up to".

"Sounds good", Connor made his way over to empty chair sitting alongside the counter. He looked at some of the schematics, diagrams and notes that were laid out before him and was impressed. He knew they were always making improvements, but Trina had brought them some new ideas and it looked like they hadn't wasted anytime in getting them started.

He was looked at the notes someone had made when Paul came back, "Hey Connor, its good isn't it".

Connor looked confused at first, "What, ohhh this, yeah it looks very interesting. Was this something that Trina had given you?"

"Yeah, she said it was an anomaly detector".

Connor hadn't been sure of what he had been looking at when he first saw the papers, but when Paul said it was an anomaly detector he was again confused, "We already have one of those, It's in the main lab remember?"

"No, she said this was better, she had mentioned it was similar to the one you had used to open up an anomaly, but she said this one was better".

"How would she have known how to build one of those?" As Connor asked the question he knew that Paul would not have the answer so he didn't ask any more questions.

Paul walked over to one of the designs lying on the table, "What I would like you to work on is making one of these. I thought that since you have used a similar one that you would have no trouble making this".

Connor took the paper from Paul, "Sure, I can work on this".

"Great, let me know what supplies you need and I will make sure you get them".

Connor looked back at the diagram and the notes that went along with it. They were rough and crud at best, but they also looked like nothing he had seen before. He was starting to wonder how Trina would have had this knowledge since she had acted like they didn't have this type of technology when they had first entered her world. There was something she was hiding from everyone and this was probably part of it, but he didn't know what it would be.

As he set the papers down he suddenly grew dizzy; forcing his hand to his head in an attempt to steady himself. He closed his eyes for fear of another headache returning, but the only thing that came to his mind when his eyes were shut was the warning he had received in his dream. The woman he kept seeing in his dreams had said he needed to stop her, but he didn't know what that had meant. He quickly opened his eyes and looked down at the table again. Was he supposed to stop Trina, but from what. He struggled to think about the dream, trying to remember what else the woman had said to him, but all he got for his efforts was pain that radiated at the back of his head leading down to his neck. All thoughts he had were gone in that instant as he tried to rub the pain away. A few minutes later he was suddenly aware of his surrounding and couldn't remember what he had been thinking about only minutes before. His head no longer hurt and that was all that mattered at this point. He gathered up the papers before him and hobbled over to a computer. He decided the best thing to do was to just get to work. It would keep him distracted and not allow him any time to think about how made he was at being reassigned.

* * *

Abby had been mad as she walked away from Connor. She couldn't believe that Lester had removed him from the team, but what made her even angrier was that Connor didn't do anything about it. She was hoping that he would have stood up for himself and said he didn't want to go to another department, but instead he just stood there and took it.

When she learned who had replaced Connor the news sent her through the roof. She had gone and found Lester to have a few words with him but the only thing it got her was a threat to be permanently removed from the building. She forced herself to cool down and went to find Danny. She knew that he was on the hunt for information about Trina and she was hoping there was some good news to be found today.

She found Danny talking on the phone so she waited quietly until he was finished.

Danny ended his call and pocketed his phone as he turned to Abby, "Hey Abby, from the look on your face you must have heard the news".

"Danny, have you tried talking to Lester?"

Danny nodded his head, "I have, but I got nowhere. I think we're stuck with this for now, but I don't plan on taking my eyes off that woman".

Abby agreed with him. "Well at least Connor can't get into much trouble in the research department".

"Yeah, but I imagine he wasn't happy about it".

Abby shrugged her shoulders, "You wouldn't know it by the way he acted when Lester told him".

"Have you found out any information about our new teammate?"

The look on Danny's face wasn't very hopeful, "My friend tried to find her family, but there doesn't seem to be anything on her. It's almost like she didn't grow up in this reality, but I don't see how that is possible. She would be a little girl right now, but there doesn't seem to be any record of her that we can find yet".

"Well maybe the name she gave us wasn't the name she grew up with".

"Yeah, that could be the case, but I think we need to find out more about her by talking to her". Danny stopped and hesitated before continuing, "I have something to ask you Abby?"

Abby had an idea of what he was going to ask, "What is that?"

"I want you to get to know Trina better, maybe try and be her friend. Maybe if she trusts you she will tell you more about herself".

"Do you really think that finding out more about her childhood would make that much of a difference".

"I don't know, but it's a start. I keep thinking about the impact there would be if the two of them met. Would something happen if they ran into each other?"

Abby laughed, "Oh Danny, I think you have been watching too many movies. Do you think the world will cease to exist if they meet?"

Danny's Face grew red. It had been something he had thought about, but he knew better. But he still thought it was something to look into. "But it's not just her past I am interested about. I want to know who she really is and what she knows"

Abby knew she hit a nerve with her statement and could tell that Danny was momentarily embarrassed. "I won't guarantee anything, but I will give it a try".

"Thanks Abby".


	3. Chapter 9

It wasn't long before Danny and Abby were called away to a mission. Their detector had gone off indicating that an anomaly had open somewhere on the west side of town.

Danny gathered up his normal supplies while Abby got herself ready. When they went outside they found Becker, Sarah, Trina and a few other men waiting for them.

As customary, Danny got into the car next to Becker who was usually one of the drivers. Sarah and Abby got into the back and made room for Trina. Danny looked into the rear view mirror and thought how odd it was to see someone other than Connor sitting next to Abby. He had not been with the ARC as long as the others and had been in charge of his group for only a third of that time, but he had gotten used to their routine. He just hoped Trina didn't try and weasel her way into his position as it seemed like she had done with Connor's spot.

As the two vehicles moved Sarah talked about the area they were headed to and mentioned that it would be in an unpopulated spot; which was a good thing. It never did them any good to have spectators about, but then again that was why they always brought some of Becker's men along. It was their job to keep the area secure.

When the two vehicles finally stopped at their destination Danny was the first one out of the truck. He walked a little ways to get an idea of the surroundings and found that Sarah's description of the area was quite accurate. It didn't take long for him to find the anomaly, nor did it take long for Abby and Sarah to set up the equipment. One of the standard things they always brought was the devise that would lock up the anomaly while they were there investigating it.

Danny watched as Trina helped the two women with the devise. He could also hear her offering her suggestions on how the equipment could be altered to work better. It didn't surprise him when Abby seemed to ignore every word she was saying, but he was happy that Sarah was taking an interest. Maybe he asked the wrong person to get to know Trina and was just starting to rethink his whole plan when he saw Abby ask Trina something. Trina in turn smiled and started showing her something on the main panel of the machine. Maybe he wasn't wrong after all.

When everything was ready Danny and the others got ready to enter the anomaly. He was about to tell one of Becker's men to unlock the hold on the anomaly when Becker asked for a moment.

"Danny, do you think that Sarah could stay back from this mission. It might be a good idea if she were the one to watch the equipment today".

Danny was confused, "We always have one of your men watch the equipment, why the change?"

"It's just that all of these men are new and they don't really know much about the system, so I thought it would be a good idea to have Sarah show them".

Sarah had been listening to Becker and waited until he was done, "Danny, I think Becker is mistaken. Lieutenant Fueller is more than capable of watching the equipment. I don't think I need to stay back today".

Danny wasn't quite sure what to make of this little display, but he was even more surprised when Becker suddenly walked over to Sarah and gently took her by the arm; leading her away from the group.

Sarah allowed Becker to remove her from the group for only so long before she pulled her arm away from him, "What do you think you are doing Becker?"

"I don't want you going today. I want you to stay back where it's safe".

Sarah suddenly realized why he was acting like this, "If I knew this was how you were going to act then I would never have told you. I am more than capable of taking care of myself".

"It's not just you that I am worried about".

Sarah saw the look in his eyes and knew this was not going to be an easy fight. "Look Becker, I appreciate you being worried, but I assure you that I will be just as careful as I was before. I don't want this to change anything between us and I most certainly don't want others to view me any differently".

Becker looked back at Danny and the others and knew that he couldn't keep this up for long. He looked back at Sarah, "Ok, you can go this time, but I want you to stay close to me in case there is trouble".

Sarah was relieved to hear him say that. She didn't want to jeopardize anything either, but until she knew for sure she didn't want anything to change. Only when her doctor confirmed that she was truly pregnant would she start to think about taking precautions; but for now it was just too early. After all home pregnancy tests have been known to give false results.

Becker and Sarah walked back to the group. Becker announced that both of them would be going and ignored Danny's question as to what the whole thing was about.

Abby on the other hand went over and stood next to Sarah, "What was that all about?"

Sarah looked over at Becker before answering, "It was nothing. Can we maybe talk about this later?"

"Sure Sarah".

The small group entered the anomaly once it was unlocked. As Abby was the last one to go through, the anomaly was locked back up; with instructions to open it in two hour. This would give the group enough time to assess the world on the other side and to decide it if warranted further trips. There was never a way to tell what they would find, but it was a way to catalog each and every anomaly in an attempt to create a map of sorts. If they knew which ones were not a threat, then they could send more of their scientists to explore the area if and when it opened again.

* * *

Connor had been working for over 2 hours straight on the plans that Trina had shared with the researchers. He had started to figure out what he needed when something came to mind causing him to redo the entire diagram. By the time Paul came back to check on him he was a little disappointed to see that nothing much had been done.

"Hey Connor, I thought you were going to have a list of supplies for me, but instead it looks like you have changed the entire thing". He picked up the drawing that sat in front of Connor, "What is this anyway?"

Connor took the paper back from Paul, "I was looking at what was drawn and it came to me that this way would work much better".

"No Connor, Lester was quite specific in his instructions that we make exactly what was drawn here. Your plan doesn't even look close to what Trina gave us. Are you sure you are up to this?"

"I'm up to it Paul, but if you look at the way this was laid out in the original drawing you will see why mine is better".

"Look Connor, you may have used something similar to this before, but what makes you think that you know how to build one, especially in such a short time. No, I think it would be best to do it exactly as it is drawn here". He pointed to the one that Trina had provided.

Connor was a little taken back by Paul's reaction, but he lacked the strength to continue selling his idea, "Ok Paul, I will do it your way".

"Thank you Connor, so do you have a list for me".

Connor rubbed his head as he felt a headache coming on, "I'll have one for you in 10 minutes".

"I'll see you in ten then". Paul turned around and walked back toward his office at the end of the room.

Connor watched as Paul walked away. He was a little confused by the way Paul had reacted to his changed plans. He always thought Paul was easy going and had to wonder why this sudden change. He put it aside for now as he started working on his list.

* * *

It was late when Abby and the rest of the group came back. The other side of the anomaly ended up being an overgrown forest that was void of any life other than the trees. The group had walked for sometime before they realized there was nothing else to see. They knew there was probably something else beyond the forest, but they knew their time was up. It was decided that this world didn't hold much to offer at this time.

Abby hadn't expected to find Connor still working, but it was exactly what she found him doing. It seemed like everyone else had already gone home when she entered the research lab. "Hey Connor, I think it's time to go home".

Abby waited for a response, but when it didn't come she went closer and cleared her throat, "Hey Connor, it's time to go".

It took her hand on his shoulder to make him realize that she had entered the room.

Connor had been so engrossed in his work that he literally jumped out of this chair when he felt something on his shoulder. He turned around quickly and saw who it was that had disturbed him, "Abby, you scared me".

Abby was sorry she had scared him, but when he didn't respond to her she had no other choice, "Sorry Connor, but you didn't answer me".

"Oh, I'm sorry, I've been working on this that I lost all track of time".

Abby looked at what he was doing, "What are you working on?"

Connor looked down and his eyes suddenly went wide when he saw what was before him, "I'm not sure".

"You mean you have been working this whole time on something you don't even know".

"No, I started working on a plan that Trina had provided, but this is not what I have here". Connor picked up the small components that were before him. He then picked up a drawing that he didn't even remember seeing before.

Abby looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. "What's that?"

Connor looked lost, "I'm not sure, I don't remember seeing this before".

"But it looks like it's your handwriting".

It did indeed look like his writing, but he didn't remember doing any of it. He looked at the components that were on the table and they in fact looked like it was what he had been working on. "I don't remember doing any of this".

It was Abby's turn to be confused, "You mean you have been sitting here this whole time working on something you don't even remember doing".

"It looks that way". Connor rubbed his head as a headache suddenly erupted above his eyes. "I don't feel so good Abby".

Abby looked at him and saw that his face was as white as a ghost, "I need to get you home Connor".

Connor didn't disagree with her. He allowed her to help him up and they slowly walked to the door. He was having a hard time walking straight so he was glad to have Abby's support. He leaned on the wall momentarily while she opened the door. Once outside the room he felt the cool air of the hallway and had to wonder exactly how long he had been sitting in the other room. As he walked he was feeling a little better, but his head was still pounding.

Abby held on to him until they made it to her car. As she drove home she wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep since he was so quiet, but the light from another car illuminated his face just enough to see that his eyes were open. She wanted to ask him some more questions but knew they could wait. She needed to get him home so he could rest and get rid of his headache. She didn't like how many he was getting lately and how he kept drifting off; not remembering much of what he had just been doing. She decided that she would talk to him tomorrow after he had a good night's rest. Perhaps she was just making this into something more that it really was.


	4. Chapter 10

Abby had tried to talk to Connor about his lapse in memory issues and his continued headaches, but whenever his health was brought up he would just insist he was alright and thank her for being concerned. She knew he was not one to make regular visits to the doctor, but she thought he was making a mistake in this case.

It had been 4 days since he had been reassigned to the research department and the only time she got to see him was at home. It was almost as if she was losing him, but she had to remind herself that she never really had him. She knew he liked her, but she never did much to show him how she felt. She really liked him too and had they been stuck in the past she would have been forced to work with him to stay alive; which would have probably brought out her true feelings for him. But ever since they had gotten out of the past and made their way to an altered future, there was never an opportunity for her to tell him how she felt. The opportunity was still there when they made their way back to their own time, but the more he withdrew from her the harder it was for her to get close to him. She would sometimes think about it while she lay in bed and it was almost as if the more he drifted from her the more she wanted him. Her thoughts of him always ended the same however and that was what had happened to him when they thought they had lost him. Whatever it was had changed him just enough that he was no longer the same.

Today was no different than any other day this week. They had driven into work together, he told her to be careful and then he would hole himself up with his work not to be seen until it was time to go home. She had asked the others if they had seen or talked to Connor lately and they had to admit that they had not.

Danny had also been concerned about Connor, but he had been so caught up in finding out more about Trina and keeping her in his sight that he had forgotten to have a talk with him. Today they didn't have much to do so he thought he would take a trip to see what his friend was up to.

As Danny walked to the research department he rehearsed what he was going to day. Abby had told him how he never wanted to talk about himself or his health so he had to make sure Connor didn't try to change the subject.

When he entered the room he looked around and realized that he had never been in here before. It looked like he expected it to look, but there were fewer people working than he thought there would be. He looked around and finally spotted Connor who had his back to him and was huddled over something.

When he was directly behind Connor he cleared his throat in an attempt to make his presence known, but there was no change in his friend's posture so he walked to the front of the table thinking he would see him and look up, but that didn't seem to work either. He was about to say something when he looked at what Connor was doing.

He was instantly intrigued in what he saw and all his previous thoughts on how to get Connor's attention were lost. He felt himself take one of the seats at the table and pick up one of the objects, "What are you working on Connor".

As if Connor knew he was always there he replied, "It's a devise".

Danny could see it was a device, "Yes, but what does it do".

Connor finally stopped working when the question was asked. He looked up at Danny with eyes that looked a million miles away, "I don't know".

Danny was surprised by his response, but the look on Connor's face also brought him back to why he was here. He didn't like the look on his friends face. "Connor, do you have time to take a break? I would really like to talk to you ".

Connor had been looking toward Danny but he really hadn't been focusing on him until the question was asked. He looked at Danny and saw concern in his face, but instead of giving him what he wanted, he withdrew and looked away so he was looking to his left, "I really need to get back to work, but maybe later I'll have time".

Danny put his hand on Connor's arm, "Connor?" He waited until he got the eye contact he was waiting for. "What is going on with you?"

Connor was surprised by his serious tone. He knew Abby had been getting on his case lately, but he thought it was just the way Abby was, but to hear it from someone else confused him. There was nothing wrong with him, so why would he think there was. It had to be Abby, she must have asked Danny to say something. "There is nothing wrong. I know Abby is worried about me, but seriously there is nothing wrong".

Danny took his hand back, "I'm not doing this for Abby. Ever since we got back you've been acting differently. I just want to make sure you are ok".

Connor rolled his eyes at the statement and sighed, "I am perfectly fine Danny. Look, why don't we talk about this later, I really need to get back to work".

Danny looked down at the work Connor was doing. He decided to try a different tactic, "This looks interesting; so who are you building it for".

Connor went back into his building mode. He picked up one of the pieces and held it up, "This was something that Trina had designed". He picked up the design and handed it to Danny.

He took the diagram and looked at it for a moment and then looked at what was on the table, "Are you sure you have this right, it doesn't look anything like the drawing".

"What?" Connor took the paper back and studied at; his face was twisted in confusion. "No, this is what I have been working on; maybe I gave you the wrong one". He looked down at the table and starting rifling through everything before him. "I don't understand I know I had it here. Well regardless of where it is it's what I am working on".

"What does it do?"

"I don't know, I wasn't told specific details, but it is supposed to help find more anomalies".

Danny was satisfied for the moment, "Ok Connor, well I will be seeing you later".

"Sure mate, we'll talk later".

Connor's head went back to work so quickly that it was almost as if Danny had never been there.

Danny left the room to find Abby. He decided that the best place to talk would be back at their place.

* * *

It had been four days since Sarah had told Becker of the possibility that she was pregnant and now she was sitting in the doctor's office waiting for her results. She wasn't ready to be a mother so she hoped it would be negative. She also never pictured having a child out of wedlock or at the very least having conceived a child the way she did. The one and only time she was with Becker was when she thought it was her last night on earth. She hadn't expected to escape so the consequences never occurred to her.

She was sitting on one of the two chairs in the office, biting her nails when the door opened.

Dr. Wells walked in and took her seat behind the desk. "You look nervous Sarah; was this visit unexpected or planned?"

"It was totally unexpected. So what are the results".

"Well I don't know whether or not this is good news, but the results of the blood test are positive. You are going to have a baby".

Sarah was numb all over. She somehow managed to maintain her composure while the doctor explained what she needed to do next and then she quietly thanked her before leaving.

She headed down the elevator and made her way to the front entrance where she would find her car. Her head felt like it was in the fog so when she saw Becker leaning against her car she didn't know if he was real or not. As she approached her head started to clear and she saw the sympathetic look in his eyes, "Becker, I didn't expect to find you here".

"Well when you told me you were seeing the doctor today I thought I needed to be here for you".

"Thank you, but I can manage".

Becker straightened out his body and started walking toward Sarah, "I'm sure you can, but I just wanted to be here for you either way".

She smiled, "so I suppose you want to know what she said".

He had been thinking about this and when he saw her he was unable to tell what the answer would be, "Well yes, I am curious, but if you don't want to tell me right now I will understand".

"No, it's ok; you have a right to know". She paused, trying to think of the best way to tell him, "It looks like I'm going to have a baby".

Becker stared at her; his face was emotionless as he listened to her answer. He remembered when she had first mentioned to him that she might be pregnant and his first response was to ask if there was a possibility that it may not be his, but she had assured him he was the only one she had been with in some time. So this was his baby, something he always knew he wanted, but never knew when he would be ready. He liked Sarah, but didn't know if he would ever grow to love her, but he did know that he would love their baby. He came forward and awkwardly gave her a hug.

The hug surprised Sarah, but she couldn't tell if he was happy about it, "So, this is probably not good news for you".

Becker pulled away so he could look at her face, "No I think it's wonderful". He hugged her again before letting go, "Do you want me to take you somewhere or do you wish to be alone right now".

"No, a little company would be good right now. I know a nice little place around the corner where we could have some tea and maybe talk".

"Lead the way".

They walked side by side, but it wasn't exactly the sight one would expect from two people who just found out they were expecting a child together.

* * *

Connor looked down at what he was working on. From all appearances it was almost finished, but he was still concerned why it didn't look like Trina's design. He had started out by using the plans that were drawn out for him, but he didn't really remember much else after that. He had been working nonstop on this thing but he still didn't know when he had decided to make changes.

He turned the device around in his hands and screwed in the last piece in the back. He then put the back cover on and held in up in front of his face. It was definitely not what he had started out to do, but what he was now looking at impressed him. It was a very lightweight transmitter of some sort that provided the user to enter information into the screen. But what it did he didn't know. He knew the only way he would find out what it was, was to try it out. He looked around the room and knew that this would not be the best place to try it so he picked up his jacket and his cane; since he no longer needed the crutches, and headed outside.

The time on his watch indicated that it was almost time to go home, but he really wanted to test this out. He was glad when there was no one outside to distract him.

He held the device up and wondered what he should do first. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but when he looked down he realized that something was already entered on the screen. He didn't remember seeing anything on the screen before so he didn't know if it had always been there and he just didn't remember it or was this just one more thing that he had done recently and couldn't remember. Well it didn't really seem to matter, he somehow knew he had want he needed.

He pointed the device toward the empty space in front of him and pressed the button. What he saw next was a great flash of light, it was similar to an anomaly, but there was something different to the way the light was reflected. He gazed into it, wondering what it was, but something deep down inside was telling him he already knew what it was. He had seen this before, in fact on several occasions. His desire to enter the light was getting stronger with every minute. There was something drawing him toward it and he would have entered it if it weren't for his name being called. He looked behind him and saw that it was Abby. She looked concerned for him and starting running toward him, calling his name, but he only looked away and back toward the light. The desire had finally grown to be too much; the light was demanding his attention. He looked back once more at Abby and then walked through the light.

Abby had been trying to catch him when she saw what was directly in front of him. It had only taken a second for her brain to register where she had seen the light before. It was the same one they saw when they thought they had lost Connor, only to have him reappear through it. She was almost upon him when she saw him go through. She fell to the ground when the light disappeared along with Connor. She started screaming his name without even realizing it, "Connor".

Connor entered the light and was engulfed in its warmth for only a moment before he exited the other side. He fell to ground when he stepped out, but was back on his feet in seconds. He looked around and it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He was standing in the greenest fields that he had ever seen, yet something about the whole place looked familiar; almost as if he were back home. He looked around but stopped when he saw her.

She was smiling at him as she approached. When she was finally directly in front of him she stopped, "Connor, It's good to have you back".

Connor looked at the woman; not sure of who she was, but for some reason he knew her name, "Cara"?

She nodded, happy that he remembered her. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. She was happy when she felt his arms follow suit and hug her back. "Connor, I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon, but I'm glad you did. I tried telling you something before you left, but I was never sure you if you heard it". She could tell he was breathing hard, "Come, we will take care of you like before and then we can talk then".

Connor didn't know what she was talking about, but he felt so out of breath that he would do anything she said as long as she would make him feel better.

Cara led him to what looked like a carriage, but there were no horses. When they were inside, the carriage started moving as if it were motorized. But Connor was totally oblivious to any of it. He was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. His breathing had grown shallow, but Cara was right next to him making sure he was ok.


	5. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

Connor felt warm and snug under one of the softest blankets his skin had ever felt. He didn't want to open his eyes, but the sounds around him were just too much to resist any longer.

He opened his eyes but quickly closed them to the bright light that was flooding in from somewhere. When he thought it was ok he opened his eyes again and looked around the room. He didn't recognize anything, but the moment she walked into the room he knew instantly where he was. He remembered being in a field when he first saw her. He also remembered that he was starting to have trouble breathing and that she helped him into her vehicle. He wasn't sure, but he thought her name might be Cara, but he didn't know if he knew that because she had told him or if it was because he had met her before.

She smiled down on him as she walked toward him. She was glad to see him awake. "Connor, it's good to see you again. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever find your way back here, but here you are". She sat down on the bed and could see the look of confusion on his face, "I know you may not remember me, but you will in time again. My name is Cara".

Connor watched her as she came closer and the more he looked at her the more he knew he had met her before, but from where he couldn't say. When she sat down and announced her name he felt an instant connection to her, but the feeling was suddenly replaced with fear. Here he was in a strange place that he didn't recognize with a woman he knew but didn't remember ever meeting before. Maybe he was dreaming and this was just all in his head.

He closed his eyes trying to make sense of this. He tried to remember where he was before seeing her and when he did it hit him like a brick wall. Before he opened his eyes he felt his chest tighten up as he struggled to take a breath. The feeling continued to overwhelm him until he passed out.

* * *

The ARC was in an uproar when they found out that Connor was missing. Abby had wasted no time in finding Danny and telling him what she saw. Along the way Lester found out and demanded that they look into what he had been working on.

Danny and Abby went straight to the Research Lab, but were annoyed to find Trina had beaten them there. She looked equally annoyed as she inspected some of the diagrams and items at Connor's work station.

Trina looked toward the door when she heard it opening. She was in no mood to discuss this with Danny and Abby, but if Connor was missing then she shouldn't expect them to stay out of it. He was their friend after all.

Danny went straight for Connor's work station, "What do you know about Connor's disappearance?"

Trina looked stunned at the questions, "Why would you think I know something about it?"

"Because he was working on something you had drawn", he picked up the diagram to prove his point.

Trina saw what was in his hand and instantly knew why he had accused her, "Those were just plans I had drawn up, but they wouldn't have anything to do with what happened to Connor".

Danny was annoyed by her avoidance to the question, "What was he making?"

Trina continued to play it cool, but making sure to act offended at the accusation at the same time, "They were just detectors that we used from my time. Since I didn't bring any back with me I thought this was the best way to show everyone what I was talking about".

Danny remained skeptical at her answer, but he nothing more to work with, "Lester wants us to figure out where he went so anything you can offer would be greatly appreciated".

"Of course Danny, I want to find Connor just as much as you do". She turned away from Danny to talk to Abby, "Abby, I heard that you were with him when he disappeared. What can you tell me about it?"

Abby didn't want her help anymore than Danny did, but they would be crazy to turn down anyone's help at this point, "He was standing in the open field and there was a very bright light before him. I called out to him and he looked at me, but then he turned back to the light and walked through it. Once he was through the light disappeared".

"What kind of light did you see?"

Abby wanted to get all the details correct so she took her time while explaining, "It was a pure white light, kind of like the ones we see when there is an anomaly, but this was not the same. It was almost like I had seen it before, but I'm not sure".

The mention of a pure white light had grabbed Trina's full attention, "Where do you think you saw it before, have you experienced different anomalies before".

As Abby thought about it her mind drifted back to the day they had come back to their own time. It was when Connor had not come through with them that she had seen the light, "It was the same light that Connor had come through when we thought he had not made it through from the future with us".

Trina was worried about Abby's revelation. She didn't know if they could tell it by the look in her eyes, but she did her best to not let it show, "And you have never seen this light before that day, correct?"

Abby just nodded and looked at Danny who was also nodded his agreement.

Trina grabbed a few of the diagrams and without saying anything further started making her way to the door.

Danny was happy at the thought of her leaving, but he could tell she knew more to what was going on than she was say. Additionally she was taking things that Connor had been working with before he disappeared. "Where are you going with those?"

Trina stopped when Danny was finished with his question, "These are my plans; I'm only taking what is mine".

"They may hold a clue to what happened and until someone tells me otherwise, I am in charge of this investigation".

Trina wasn't happy with this and to show it she shoved the papers into Danny's hand and left the room without saying anything.

Danny looked stunned at her behavior, but Abby looked satisfied, "What do you think that was all about".

Abby couldn't help but smile, "I think she didn't like being put in her place by you. Did you get the idea that she knew something about this?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah, I was wondering if you had thought the same thing. We need to find out what Connor was working on and figure out how she fits into all of this".

* * *

After passing out, Connor finally opened his eyes. He didn't know how long he had been out, but he finally felt better. He didn't feel as lightheaded as he did before and it was a little easier to breathe.

He sat up on the bed he was currently occupying and found that he was not alone. He saw that Cara was leaning against the window with her back to the cool air flowing in. She didn't make an attempt to move, but instead just smiled. She continued to just stare at him for another minute before breaking the silence.

"Connor, I hope you are finally feeling better. I knew this would happen, but I just hate to see you struggling".

He still had no idea of who she was, but he felt comfortable in her presence, "I do feel better, but I am so confused by this. How do you know who I am?"

She finally moved closer, but made sure to keep her distance, "I know a whole lot about you Connor. I know you have a lot of questions, but in time you will remember everything, I promise".

He did indeed have questions, but for some reason he believed her.

She saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was ok with all of this. She knew he would be, but he just needed time. "Well, I think it's time to get you out of this bed and find something for you to eat".

The sound of food made him take notice and he was ready to jump up off the bed, but he found Cara in his way.

"Slow down there Connor, I can see your appetite hasn't changed much".

How could she know that? She was looking at him with eyes that were so familiar yet so unfamiliar. The way she looked at him told him that she knew exactly who he was, but why didn't he know who she was. He was confused, but what happened next really shocked him.

Cara couldn't hold it in any longer. She moved closer to him and leaned into for strong embrace followed by a long intense kiss. She didn't feel him resist her so she made the kiss last long enough to take his breath away.

She looked at the reaction on his face and wasn't sure what to make of it. She knew his looks pretty well, but this was a new one. She couldn't tell if he was happy about what she did or repulsed by it all.

A kiss from the woman was the last thing he would have expected from her, especially such a passionate kiss. When she was finally done and he saw her face a sudden recognition flooded his already overwhelmed brain. He finally knew who he was, where he was and most importantly how important this woman sitting beside him was. It all came back to him as if he had never left. He suddenly ached to hold her again.

He grabbed her and this time it was her breath he took away. He kissed her like he had been hungry for her lips for a long time, but for him it really hadn't been that long. His kiss was more for her because he knew she would have been waiting a long time for his return.

She wasn't disappointed in his final reaction. She had been waiting for 4 long years for this.

* * *

Authors Note: Sorry the last part may be confusing, but the next chapter will hopefully explain it all to you. I hope you stay with me on this story.


	6. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

Connor silently watched Cara as she prepared him some food. He just couldn't believe he had made it back here, but more importantly back to her. He remembered being told that once he left this place his memory would be sketchy if not altogether gone about his time spent here.

It was shortly after they had found the anomaly that would take them home to their own time that he had met Cara. He had gone through the anomaly the same way he had done hundreds of other times, but where he ended up was altogether different.

After he stepped through the lights he was immediately thrust into an unknown world. He was still having problems with this broken ankle and tripped onto the green grass a soon as he had stepped through. But this wasn't what caused him to struggle after he landed on the ground. It was his breathing that was giving him distress and as many times as he tried he couldn't catch his breath.

He started to panic with every gasp for air and eventually passed out. When he woke up, uncertainty of where he was or what was going on filled his mind, but it all melted away when he saw her. She had the look of an exotic beauty from a far off land, which was enough to make him wonder if he was dreaming. But her reassurance calmed him down enough to fall back to sleep.

She stayed with him over the course of the next couple of weeks as he struggled to adjust to his new surroundings. While he was recovering his chest continued to hurt with every breath and he somehow ended up with an infection in his lungs. She had said the inability to breath normally was typical for outsiders when they first got here, but for some reason he was having a harder time of it than most. It was almost another 2 weeks before he was able to finally get outside and see where he was.

By the time he got outside his ankle had healed, but it was difficult to walk on due to his forced convalescence. It took a several days before he was able to walk without the help of a cane and another week before his limp went away.

The whole situation also took quite an emotional toll on him. His memory of where he had come from was finally starting to come back to him. He was told this is what happens to outsiders as they experienced an imbalance in their brain causing some of or all of their memories to shift. Connor had not understood any of this when it was explained to him, but he soon began to figure it out. He also started to remember his friends and desperately wanted to get back to them as soon as he could, but there was something about his new world that intrigued him enough to stay longer. It also didn't help that he found Cara very attractive and thought that he might be falling for her. What he didn't know at the time was that she was also falling for him.

They were inseparable when he had first arrived, but she had been there to take care of him. There were other people around, but they mostly kept to themselves and didn't really seem to want to take the time to get to know him. But Cara was different. She kept a close eye on him the whole time he was recovering, and she stayed with him even when he was finally able to get around by himself.

The day finally came when she told him all about her world and how he happened to get there. She had purposely waited until he felt better and had started recovering his old memories before she added new ones.

Her name was Cara and she was one of the keepers of the lights.

Connor was amazed at her story and who she was. He had always thought there was more to the universe than just there planet. But another level of existence was something he was not expecting to hear from her. Based on his knowledge of the anomalies, they took you to other times but you were still on the same world. Where he was now was not even part of the Earth that he knew. It was an altogether different dimension of time and space. But being a science fiction nerd made this easy for him to understand and accept.

She explained that it was the crossing of two anomalies from two different times that caused an opening into her world and allowed Connor to cross over. It was something that was rare, but he was not the first one to find their way here from his world and it wouldn't be the last time. It was for this very reason that she was one of the keepers of the lights and was entrusted the important duty of guarding a known portal. They knew a lot more about how anomalies worked than Connor or anyone on Earth did, but they had yet to figure out how to stop these rare occurrences from happening.

Connor was fascinated by this whole thing. He thought it was pure luck that he just happened to be in the anomaly at the same time someone else from another time was using one. He really wanted to get back to his friends and his own world, but this was just too much for him and he decided to stay and learn everything that he could.

He was unsure of how much time he had really spent here and Cara was not much help except to say that time flowed differently here than in his world. But he knew one thing for sure; he had been here long enough to have made a personal connection with her. He loved her and he knew she loved him back. He also felt connected to this world and wanted to stay longer, if not forever, but he knew it was time to go back. He had another life to get back to and he still had feeling for someone else that he sometimes found hard to ignore.

When the day came to send him back, Cara informed him that she would be able to send him back to the exact same day that he would have returned with his friends. She said that she would try to get the time to be almost the same, but couldn't guarantee it like she could the day.

She also reminded him that he would not remember anything once he got back.

He remembered the first time she had told him that and wanted to know how she knew this. She had told him that her people had once sent one of their own people to his world and the consequences were devastating to the person. From that day forward they knew that their kind could never live amongst Connors kind. When Connor asked how he was able to live in her world, she explained that it was different somehow, but she never really dove into much of an explanation.

She had also told him of another incident that had occurred with someone coming from his world. A woman had found herself in their world and while she was here she fell in love with one of their own. A child was the result of their love. They thought she was happy to live here and would want to stay, but instead she insisted on going back to her world. Knowing what affects her world may have on her child, she chose to leave her daughter here with her father.

The whole story fascinated him and he asked to hear about the whole thing.

She said that this little girl, Neleh, was never the same after her mother left. Her father tried to keep her happy, but his time with the girl's mother left him changed, so much so that he decided he could no longer live without her. He chose to leave their world in search of her. He took their daughter with him and they were never seen again.

People were sad to see him leave, but for some reason they never trusted Neleh and were actually happy when she went with him.

* * *

Now it was Connor's time to leave and he was starting to have regrets about his decision. He wanted to change his mind, but she told him to go. He had learned enough to find his way back here and could come back when and if he wanted to. She wanted to give him the opportunity to make such a huge decision to stay with her when he was back in his own world.

As he was about to step through the brilliant white light Cara suddenly received some news that changed everything. She had been looking into a few things Connor had told her and the information she was seeking chose this day to make its way to her. As he was stepping through she tried to grab his attention and tell him that he had to find her and stop her.

When he stepped back to his own time, all of this was lost to him. It was only after some time in his own world that bits and pieces came back to him in his dreams, but they were not enough to make any sense. It was her kiss that brought everything back to him. And now he was once again with her. He didn't know how long he had been watching her, but when the food was set in front of him he asked her about her warning before he left.

"So Cara, I have to ask you; what were you trying to tell me right before I left this world to go back to my own?"

Cara stopped what she was doing and took the seat next to him. "I was never sure if you heard me or not. Do you remember when you were telling me about some of the people from your world, well I decided to check something out and right before you left me I got the news that I was looking for. But I always felt I was too late and you didn't hear me. Plus, I thought if you did hear me you would forget about it as soon as you got back home".

"So what did you find out?"

"Well I thought that the woman Helen you told me about sounded familiar so I checked on a few things and found out that the woman who had been here and had a child was named Helen. The description of her was eerily similar to the Helen we had here. I think she was the same person and that she who had come here before and now her own child is now out there somewhere".

"But you asked me to stop her. I told you that we had stopped her, which is how I ended up here to begin with".

"It wasn't her that I asked you to stop, it was her daughter. The day the little girl left, my people feared what might happen if she were ever to return. The little girl was smart, she was practically a genius, but there was also something not right about her. She made threats to our people, who she blamed for her mother's departure. I never knew her or her mother or father, but I found someone who did and they were the ones who wanted me to ask you to find her and stop her from ever returning here".

"Sorry Cara, I didn't remember anything when I got back, but you did come to me in my dreams. You were trying to tell me something, but I never could figure it out".

"That's ok Connor, I'm sure she is not a threat to anyone here. But your return has really sparked a lot of talk amongst my people. They were very shocked that you were able to find your way back here. I know we showed you some of the devices we made to open an anomaly, but they never thought you would be able to build one from your memory, especially one so sophisticated. The one you brought back with you is unlike any that we have. How were you able to make one of these anyway?"

Connor thought about it and finally remembered it was a diagram of Trina's that he had been working on when he started altering it. "I'm not really sure how I made what I did, but I do know that the main idea came from a diagram drawn from the woman we brought back from my future. I didn't know what it was, but parts of the design just seemed to come to me and it was as if I knew there were flaws in it. I'm not really sure how I knew to make the changes I did, but what matters is that it worked". He leaned in for a kiss, but was surprised when she pulled away from him.

Cara wasn't sure if she was just putting way too much thought in what Connor said, but there was something that was bothering her about this diagram he used. "How would she know how to draw something that would inspire you to make a device that would ultimately bring you here?" She stopped to think about what to say next. "What was her name again?"

"Trina".

She didn't say anything more to him about this. She was always one to be easily paranoid and this was probably no different. But it was still something to consider. It had to be too much of a coincidence that the father of the little girl that was born here had been called Trian. There couldn't be any connection to this Trina who just happened to come back with Connor to his own time and to the little girl who was born here. So what if she had drawn something that would enable Connor to build a device capable of traveling back here. It couldn't be this easy that Connor just happened to find the little girl her world feared and bring her back to his own time. What were the chances of something like that happening? She decided to put the idea out of her mind for now. She wanted to enjoy her time with Connor. She had missed him so much after he left and had waited this whole time for his return.

* * *

Authors Note: Well I hope this clears up some of the mystery of what happened to Connor. You may still be confused, but that's only because I'm not done with the story yet. Reviews would be nice to let me know what you think.


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